The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic packaging, and more particularly to reducing thermal cycling fatigue of components in computer systems and other electrical systems.
Thermal cycling fatigue of interconnections such as solder joints between various components composed of materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion is a fundamental problem in many electronic assembly applications used in many different industries. In computer systems and other electrical systems, frequent temperature cycling of the various components such as semiconductor chips, module substrates, printed circuit boards, connectors, and other associated hardware due to powering off and on the system may result in thermal cycling fatigue fails.
Energy sensitive computer users who power down computer systems on a regular basis as an energy saving measure may create an increase in thermal cycling experienced by computer components and hardware. Additionally, a rise in the use of portable electronics and portable computers such as tablets, smartphones, and notebooks, which may experience multiple on/off cycles per day, increases thermal cycling of components and associated interconnections.
Mechanical modeling programs for predicting thermal cycling fatigue in components and interconnections between various components in an electrical system are commonly used to identify components and associated interconnections most likely to experience thermal fatigue fails in an electrical system.